Nokia Lumia 710 review and giveaway

May 21, 2012

I have spent the last few months using the new Nokia Lumia 710 cell phone. It was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review and the chance for you, my wonderful reader, to win one for yourself. Here are my thoughts and if you stick with me I will tell you how you can enter to win one at the end !

My first impression of this phone was that it felt light and easy to hold in my hand. I could easily talk on this phone for hours if needed (but trust me I don’t do that because I have four little ones that seem to sense mom’s distraction the moment I touch a phone and unpleasant things can happen in a short amount of time!).

The initial setup was very easy to go through and within a few minutes I was ready to make calls. I’ve never used a Windows phone before (my regular cell phone is an iphone) so it took a few minutes to learn where everything was located but Windows has done a great job of simplifying the user interface so you have quick and easy access to the apps you use the most.

I found the phone to be quick and I didn’t experience delays when navigating around. The touch sensitivity was sensitive enough that I didn’t find myself pushing hard on the screen or having to redo motions because it didn’t register. The phone has three main navigation buttons on the front; a back button, home button, and search button. I really like the back button as it works in all the apps and in navigating the Windows screens.

The Nokia comes with a HD lens for taking 5 Megapixel high quality photos and 720p video. In good light the photos and video come out great. The biggest problem is when working with limited light. The camera has a hard time focusing and figuring out the best saturation level to give you the best picture. It does have a built in flash which makes taking pictures in zero light still possible. Overall the camera is good enough for daily use.

The phone comes with some pre-installed apps. For example the social app called People is great because it organizes all your social media outlets (facebook, twitter, etc…) in one hub making it easy to get the latest information at the touch of a finger and without the need to browse different apps.

My favorite app is the Nokia Drive, which is exclusive to the Nokia phone. Its easy to use interface gives you turn by turn directions which are easy to understand. Even in rural areas like Northern Idaho, I found the maps to be detailed and up to date.

The only issue I had with the phone was with finding and installing apps. There is a section called App Highlights but it only gives you access to a few of the most popular apps available. In order to access all the rest of them you need to use a computer to log into Microsofts App website to find and purchase apps. From there they are sent to your phone. I don’t like the fact that a smartphone requires a separate computer in order to access all the available apps for it. UPDATE: I was contacted by the company and informed that “you can access and download apps directly on your device (without using a computer). Tap on the Marketplace icon – it has a shopping bag image. Or you can find it under the app list. From there, you can search and download apps.”

Overall the Nokia Lumia 710 is a well built and easy to use phone. Having a built in HD camera allows you to keep your purse/pockets free from having to carry around an additional device. Microsoft has done a good job with the Windows mobile OS giving users a great alternative to the iPhone.What about you, what kind of phone do you have and do you like it?

Would you like to win a Nokia Lumia 710 for yourself (or a friend)? If so, simply follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below. We will choose the winner next Monday the 28th and you have several ways to enter (including a daily twitter option). Please note that you can only view the Rafflecopter form if you are on the blog so if you are reading this post via email you will need to click over to the live site). The winner must be a US resident and a T-mobile customer or be willing to switch over to T-mobile’s service. Good luck!